Hey guys, maybe someone here can help me. My two year old female black lab is losing a ton of hair. This has been happening for about four months now. The vet says there is no mange or anything medically wrong with her.The fur is not coming off in chunks and you can't tell by looking at her, in fact she has an amazing coat. The fur just seems to fall off every time she moves. It is to the point where you can hardly pet her, your hand just gets covered with hair. It almost reminds me of Pig Pen from the Peanuts with that cloud of dust around him. I know dogs shed but this seems to be a long time for shedding. We have had no major weather changes(i.e. cold to warm) so I don't think that is it. Is this just normal? Are there other symptoms I should look for that might point to other problems? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ruff

03-17-2004, 02:25 PM

Take her to another Vet! It's vertualy inpossible for someone to know without seeing the dog. Best wishes!!

Cut-um

03-17-2004, 03:38 PM

My lab sheds like that year round too...:CY: I wouldn't worry to much about it unless spots develope without hair which could be an allergy problem. I've also found that some dogs just shed more than others. Me, I just deal with it and vacume alot...:CZ:

TN Hunter

03-17-2004, 07:16 PM

What are you feeding her? I mean what brand of food. I had a vet tell me the these generic brands should be outlawed. They had seen dogs that looked twice their age and it was due to the food quality. And their hair was falling out.

falconer

03-18-2004, 05:54 AM

I have a female that has a year round shedding problem.
My vet recommended trying fish oil pills. I now feed all of my dogs one pill a day, with a meal. It does not spot the shedding but it helps. It also seems to give their coat a nice shine.

And as the others have said, feed a premium food. The better foods are worth every penny.

Call'em N

03-18-2004, 12:20 PM

My pup had the same problems when she was about 3 months old. The vet couldn't find any mange mites, or allergies. We tried evrytheing from fish oil to changing the food multiple times. After this went on about a month (and after 2 different vets looked at her, by my vets recomendation) he decides what the hell and gave her the Mange shots. The hair loss almost immediatly went away after the second shot. After reading up on mange a fair amount I discovered that we probably should have started with the shots. Typically mange will move from areas to another area. May be on the head one day (lots of scratching) and than the next day be on the side (lots of scratching). Hair in those areas will be very thin and fall out very easily.
I would deffinatly change the food you are feeding. I feed Diamond High Protein.

Matt

BEAR CALLER

03-19-2004, 10:00 AM

My female lab has the same trouble with her coat. I had seen a couple vet's about the problem and they said not to worry just make sure I was feeding her a quality food. Some month's the hair loss is worse than others but she is very healthy so I don't worry about it too much just keep her brushed and the floor swept.

Cut-um

03-19-2004, 02:43 PM

I agree food can play a major role. I have a bud and his lab had chronic hair problems including what looked to be hot spots. Go figure it was a food allergy and once he change foods the problem went away and the dog has a beautiful coat now.:Rich:

In my situation, I've always fed Science Diet and my dogs coat is extremely full and healthy. No kidding, her coat is thicker than most labs I've ever seen and that is in the Summer months. Something else I might add is her siblings have similar coats so it could be genetics??? I've noticed the same thing of other litters from the same parents...:CF:

I think my situation is different from yours "FC" but it is odd that it started a few months a go and never occurred in the past. I would sit down and try to figure out what has changed in your dog's enviornment over the past few months. Keep a close eye and see how things go...:TT:

gw-smith

03-19-2004, 04:36 PM

If the dog is not showing signs of discomfort (ie. scratching excessively, biting herself, etc) and she does not have a coat problem (bald spots, etc) then I really wouldn't worry about it. It likely is normal. You can try switching foods but it may or may not do any good. It may be seasonal as well - and she may slow down in a few months. However if she does start to scratch, bite, rub, or have spots where there is no fur - that is a different story. With almost any parsite (especially mange) - the dog will scratch themselves to death. And usually with food allergies they will too. This sounds like a normal amount of shedding for this dog to me.

DOGDOC

03-25-2004, 11:42 AM

My lab would also shed alot, and i agree nutrition can play a major role. It is true that you can scrape a dog many times and not find mange, and in some cases i will also treat them with no positive proof of mange, but this does not sound like one of those. It is good to have her thyroid levels tested, this is often a problem in labs. Also, melatonin is often helpful in these situations. I would be happy to give you more ideas if you have specific questions.
Good Luck
Dan

gvells

03-28-2004, 05:59 AM

I believe it makes a difference if the dog lives inside or outside. My dogs that have lived inside shed more and shed earlier in the year than the outside dogs. I believe their systems adjust their coats to their enviorment. I had a dog that spent about 5 years out side. I moved and did not have a kennel for one winter and he lived inside. His coat was much different that winter. He shed a LOT more. My inside dogs start shedding in Jan. The outdoor dogs start in March.